Dust-container assembly of vacuum cleaner

ABSTRACT

A dust container assembly for a vacuum cleaner. The dust container assembly includes: a casing having an intake port formed at one side thereof and an outlet port formed at the other side thereof, and provided therein with an inlet guide member therein corresponding to the outlet port such that a vortex can be generated by introduced air; an operation unit provided at the outlet port side and inducing foreign substances and air to be suctioned through the intake port; and a filter unit disposed inside the casing, filtering out foreign substances from air introduced through the intake port and flowing to the outlet port, and having a shape gradually decreasing in diameter with increasing distance from the outlet port. The dust container assembly includes a multifunctional filter disposed on a cone type protector fixedly mounted inside a dust container to filter out various foreign substances suctioned into the dust container while allowing pure air to be discharged through removal of various gases and smells contained in suctioned substances, and employs a sound absorption pad to reduce noise caused by operation of a fan motor for suction of air and foreign substances.

BACKGROUND

1. Technical Field

The present invention relates to a dust container assembly for a vacuum cleaner. More particularly, the present invention relates to a dust container assembly for a vacuum cleaner, which includes a multifunctional filter disposed on a cone type protector fixedly mounted inside a dust container to filter various foreign substances suctioned into the dust container while discharging pure air through removal of various gases and smells contained in suctioned substances; and includes a sound absorption pad to reduce noise caused by operation of a fan motor for suction of air and foreign substances.

2. Description of the Related Art

A typical vacuum cleaner has a structure wherein a motor for generating vacuum and an envelope type filter are disposed within a main body of the cleaner to allow sludge to be introduced into the main body of the cleaner through vacuum force generated by activation of the motor and to be filtered out through the filter, such that filth having been filtered out remains in the main body of the cleaner and only sludge and air having passed through the filter are discharged through an outlet port at an upper portion of the main body.

In particular, a vacuum cleaner absorbs and removes dust or foreign matter using suction force of air introduced from outside through activation of a motor received in a main body thereof, and is generally used to clean a floor.

Such a vacuum cleaner is mainly divided into a canister type vacuum cleaner and an upright type vacuum cleaner. For the canister type vacuum cleaner, a suction nozzle for suctioning dust on a floor is provided separately from a main body and thus can be replaced to suit various applications. On the contrary, for the upright type vacuum cleaner, a suction nozzle is integrally formed with a main body.

A canister type vacuum cleaner generally includes a main body generating suction force and collecting dust; a suction nozzle suctioning dust and foreign substances while being moved on a floor; and a connection tube for connection of the suction nozzle to the main body. Such a canister type vacuum cleaner allows a suction nozzle to be replaced depending upon the shape or material of objects or floors to be cleaned, has strong suction force, and thus has a wide range of applications as compared with an upright type vacuum cleaner.

An upright type vacuum cleaner can be conveniently moved and easily operated by virtue of integral formation of a suction nozzle and a handle with a main body, and is thus generally used for relatively simple cleaning.

The aforementioned features provide background information related to the present disclosure, which is not necessarily prior art.

One example of the related art is disclosed in Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2012-0114132 (entitled “Suction tube for vacuum cleaner and vacuum cleaner including the same”).

SUMMARY

A typical vacuum cleaner has a problem of loud noise caused by a motor inside a case storing foreign substances such as dust. In addition, in a typical vacuum cleaner, there is a narrow space between a cone type protector and an inlet guide member, which does not allow large dust or garbage particles to easily pass therethrough, thereby reducing rotational force of air and dust.

Therefore, there is a need for an improved technique capable of overcoming these problems.

The present invention have been conceived to solve such problems in the art and an aspect of the present invention is to provide a dust container assembly for a vacuum cleaner which includes a multifunctional filter disposed on a cone type protector fixedly mounted inside a dust container to filter out various foreign substances suctioned into the dust container while discharging pure air through removal of various gases and smells contained in suctioned substances.

Another aspect of the present invention is to provide a dust container assembly for a vacuum cleaner which employs a sound absorption pad that is modified in shape, thereby reducing noise caused by operation of a fan motor for suction of air and foreign substances.

In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, a dust container assembly for a vacuum cleaner includes: a casing having an intake port formed at one side thereof and an outlet port formed at the other side thereof, and provided therein with an inlet guide member therein corresponding to the outlet port such that a vortex can be generated by introduced air; an operation unit provided at the outlet port side and inducing foreign substances and air to be suctioned through the intake port; and a filter unit disposed inside the casing, filtering out foreign substances from air introduced through the intake port and flowing to the outlet port, and having a shape gradually decreasing in diameter with increasing distance from the outlet port.

The operation unit includes: a housing supported on a bottom of the casing and configured to allow air to pass therethrough; a fan motor member disposed inside the housing and blowing air; an inner cap member covering the fan motor member to provide sound insulation and configured to allow air to pass therethrough; a sound absorption pad disposed on a circumferential surface of the inner cap member to provide sound absorption; and an outer cap member covering the inner cap member and the sound absorption pad to provide sound insulation.

The sound absorption pad may have an embossed pattern formed on an inner surface thereof.

The filter unit includes: a protector having a net-like shape to allow air to pass therethrough and formed of hard materials, and having a diameter decreasing from top to bottom; a filtration member supported on at least one of inner and outer sides of the protector in a face-to-face manner to be maintained in shape and filtering out introduced foreign materials; and a mounting portion for fixing the protector supporting the filtration member to the casing.

The mounting portion includes: a mounting protrusion protruding from the bottom of the casing; at least one pair of first rotation preventing protrusions facing each other and protruding from and along an edge of the mounting protrusion; and a second rotation preventing protrusion extending from the protector and engaged with the first rotation preventing protrusions to prevent rotation of the protector.

The casing may be provided with a gasket on an upper inner surface thereof adjoining the protector or the filtration member to prevent leakage of foreign substances.

The circumferential surface of the protector may be inclined at different angles to ensure a desired flow rate of air through a space between the protector and the inlet guide member.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other aspects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of embodiments given in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a vacuum cleaner according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 2 and 3 are sectional views of a dust container and an operation unit according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a cut-away perspective view showing an inside of the dust container of the vacuum cleaner according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a bottom exploded perspective view of the dust container according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of the dust container according to one embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a sound absorption pad according to one embodiment of the present invention

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that the drawings are not to precise scale and may be exaggerated in thickness of lines or size of components for descriptive convenience and clarity only. In addition, terms used herein are defined by taking functions of the present invention into account and can be changed according to user or operator custom or intention. Therefore, definition of the terms should be made according to the overall disclosure set forth herein.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a vacuum cleaner according to one embodiment of the present invention, and FIGS. 2 and 3 are sectional views of a dust container and an operation unit according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a cut-away perspective view showing an inside of the dust container of the vacuum cleaner according to one embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 5 is a bottom exploded perspective view of the dust container according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of the dust container according to one embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a sound absorption pad according to one embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIGS. 1 to 7, a vacuum cleaner 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a dust container assembly, an operation unit 300, a cleaner nozzle assembly 400, and a cleaner hose 500.

In operation of the operation unit 300, air and foreign substances are suctioned into the dust container assembly through the cleaning nozzle assembly 400 and the cleaner hose 500. The dust container assembly serves to filter out foreign substances and discharge clean air therefrom.

The dust container assembly includes a dust container 200.

An outer appearance of the dust container 200 is defined by a casing 205. The casing 205 may have various shapes and be formed of various materials.

The casing 205 is provided at one side thereof with an intake port 210 to create forced flow and serves to store air and foreign substances, such as dust, introduced therein. In addition, the casing 205 is formed at the other side thereof with an outlet port 215 to discharge filtered air.

That is, the casing 205 is formed therein with a space to store introduced foreign substances, provided at one side thereof with the intake port 210 to allow introduction of foreign substances and air, and at the other side thereof with the outlet port 215 to induce discharge of filtered air therethrough. For convenience, the intake port 210 is formed on a circumferential surface of the casing 205 and the outlet port 215 is formed to be open upwardly of the casing 205.

Further, the casing 205 is provided with an inlet guide member at an inside thereof corresponding to the intake port 210 such that a vortex can be generated by introduced air.

That is, the inlet guide member 280 is placed inside the intake port 210 of the casing 205 and serves to directionally guide introduced air and foreign substances to flow in a circumferential direction of the casing 205. It should be understood that the inlet guide member 280 may be formed in a variety of shapes.

The casing 205 is mounted on a carrier 220 to be easily moved to a desired position. The carrier 220 is provided with a plurality of rollers 222. The carrier 220 may be formed in a variety of shapes.

In addition, the operation unit 300 is provided at the other side of the casing 205 of the dust container 200. The operation unit 300 forcibly generates airflow to force air and foreign substances to be introduced into the casing 205 via the intake port 210 and then discharged from the outlet port 215.

The cleaner nozzle assembly 400 serves to suction foreign substances such as dirt on a floor together with air through operation of the operation unit 300.

The cleaner hose 500 serves to connect the cleaning nozzle assembly 400 to the dust container 200 and guide foreign substances and air suctioned by the cleaning nozzle assembly 400 to be delivered to the dust container 200.

The operation unit 300 includes a housing 310 and a fan motor member 320.

The housing 310 forms a contour of the operation unit 300 and may have various shapes. In particular, the housing 310 is placed at the outlet port 215 of the casing 205. In addition, the housing 310, the casing 205, and the carrier 220 are removably coupled to one another through a clamp 230. The clamp 230 may include any suitable clamp.

Further, the housing 310 contains the fan motor member 320. When the fan motor member 320 operates, air and foreign substances are introduced into the casing 205 via the intake port 210, or air within the casing 205 is discharged through the outlet port 215. Accordingly, the housing 310 is configured to allow air to pass therethrough.

Operation of the fan motor member 320 within the housing 310 causes loud noise.

Thus, the operation unit further includes an inner cap member 330, a sound absorption pad 340, and an outer cap member 350.

The inner cap member 330 covers the fan motor member 320 within the housing 310 to provide primary sound insulation. Here, the inner cap member 330 allow air to circulate therethrough. It should be understood that the inner cap member 330 may be fixedly disposed in the housing 310 in various ways, formed of various materials, and have various shapes.

In addition, the sound absorption pad 340 surrounds a circumferential surface of the inner cap member 330 and has a function to absorb sound. The sound absorption pad 340 may be formed of various materials such as a sponge.

Further, an embossed pattern 342 is formed on an inner surface of the sound absorption pad 340. The embossed pattern 342 allows sound waves to collide therewith, thereby reducing amplitude of sound. It should be understood that the embossed pattern 342 may have various shapes.

The outer cap member 350 covers the inner cap member 330 with holes formed therein for air circulation and the sound absorption pad 340, thereby providing secondary sound insulation. It should be understood that the outer cap member 350 is also configured to allow air to flow therethrough.

In addition, the casing 205 is provided with a filter unit 240 to filter out foreign substances from air introduced into the casing through the intake port 210.

Particularly, the filter unit 240 is disposed inside the casing 205 to filter out foreign substances from air that is introduced through the intake port and then flows to the outlet port 215, and has a shape gradually decreasing in diameter towards a bottom surface of the casing 205, i.e. in a direction away from the outlet port 215.

Here, the filter unit 240 includes a protector 242, a filtration member 244, and a mounting portion 250.

The protector 242 has a net-like shape to allow air to pass therethrough, is formed of hard materials, and has a wide-top/narrow-bottom shape, i.e. a shape of a conical hat pointed at a lower end thereof. Since the protector 242 is configured to have a diameter gradually increasing upwards, the protector 242 allows a large amount of foreign substances to be collected while flowing in a circumferential direction at an inner lower side of the casing 205, and allows air to easily pass through a wide area while moving up in the casing 205.

In addition, the filtration member 244 is maintained in shape by being supported on at least one of inner and outer sides of the protector 242 in a face-to-face manner, and serves to filter out introduced foreign substances. For convenience, the filtration member 244 is disposed on both sides of the protector 242 in a face-to-face manner.

Further, the filtration member 244 may include any suitable filters such as activated carbon filters, dust trap filters, and the like.

In addition, the protector 242 must be stably mounted on the casing 205. In other words, the protector 242 is mounted on the casing 205 to be stably supported on the casing via the mounting portion 250.

The mounting portion 250 includes a mounting protrusion 252.

The mounting protrusion 252 protrudes from an inner bottom of the casing corresponding to the pointed lower side of the protector 242. The mounting protrusion 252 serves to support the lower side of the protector 242. It should be understood that the mounting protrusion 252 may be the casing 205 itself.

Particularly, the protector 242 must be protected from being rotated while being supported by the mounting protrusion 252. This configuration facilitates air flow.

Thus, the mounting portion 250 further includes a first rotation preventing protrusion 254 and a second rotation preventing protrusion 256.

The first rotation preventing protrusion 254 may include at least one pair of first rotation preventing protrusions facing each other and protruding from and along an edge of the mounting protrusion 252. For convenience, the first rotation preventing protrusion 254 is shown as being a pair of first rotation preventing protrusions facing each other and upwardly protruding from the mounting protrusion 252.

The second rotation preventing protrusion 256 extends from the lower side of the protector 242 towards the mounting protrusion 252. The second rotation preventing protrusion 256 is engaged with the first rotation preventing protrusions 254. Thus, the protector 242 is prevented from being rotated in a circumferential direction within the casing 205. The second rotation preventing protrusion 256 is shown as being a pair of second rotation preventing protrusions facing each other.

It should be understood that the first rotation preventing protrusion 254 and the second rotation preventing protrusion 256 may be formed in various shapes.

In particular, a space between the protector 242 maintaining the shape of the filtration member 244 and the inlet guide member 280 is narrower than a space between the protector 242 and the casing 205. This structure creates a bottleneck phenomenon when air flows between the protector 242 and the inlet guide member 280, thereby causing loud noise and delay in discharging air and thus poor cleaning.

Air introduced through the inlet guide member 280 mounted on the intake port 210 of the casing 205 flows along an inner wall of the casing 205. Here, when the protector 242 and the filtration member 244 have a conical hat shape, rotating air passing through a narrow space between the protector 242 and the inlet guide member 280 undergoes a bottleneck phenomenon and is thus reduced in rotational force due to centrifugal force. In order to prevent this phenomenon, the protector 242 and the filtration member 244, each modified in shape to have a straight lower corner, are provided. Here, “straight lower corner” refers to the second rotation preventing protrusion 256.

Thus, the circumferential surface of the protector 242 may be inclined at different angles to ensure a desired flow rate of air through a space between the protector and the inlet guide member 280. A portion of the circumferential surface of the protector 242 facing the inlet guide member 280 has a slope θ1 greater than a slope θ2 of other portions of the circumferential surface of the protector 242.

As a result, the protector 242 and the filtration member 244, each modified in shape to have a straight lower corner, are mounted on the mounting protrusion 244 of the casing 205 to be spaced as far apart from the inlet guide member 280 of the casing 205 as possible. This results in increase in space between the protector 242 and the inlet guide member 280, thereby reducing loss of rotational force of rotating air.

The casing 205 may be provided with a gasket 270 on an upper inner surface thereof adjoining the protector 242 to prevent foreign substances introduced through the intake port 210 from leaking to an open top of the casing.

The gasket may be formed of shock absorbing materials such as rubber to prevent the protector 242 from colliding with or being crushed by the casing 205, which otherwise could cause damage.

In addition, the gasket 270 may be fixedly mounted on the inner surface of the casing 205 in various ways. It should be understood that the gasket 270 may be formed in various shapes.

As described above, the dust container assembly according to the present invention includes a multifunctional filter disposed on a cone type protector fixedly mounted inside a dust container, whereby various foreign substances suctioned into the dust container can be filtered out while allowing pure air to be discharged through removal of various gases and smells contained in suctioned substances.

In addition, the dust container assembly according to the present invention employs a sound absorption pad having a modified shape, thereby reducing noise caused by operation of a fan motor for suction of air and foreign substances.

Although the present invention has been described with reference to some embodiments in conjunction with the drawings, it should be understood that these embodiments are provided for illustration only and that various modifications and other equivalent embodiments can be made without departing from the spirit and the scope of the present invention. Thus, the technical scope of the present invention should be determined by the attached claims.

<Legend of Reference Numerals> 100: Vacuum cleaner 200: Dust container 210: Intake 220: Carrier 240: Filter unit 242: Protector 244: Filter 250: Mounting portion 270: Gasket 300: Operation unit 310: Housing 320: Fan motor member 330: Inner cap member 340: Sound absorption pad 342: Embossed patterns 350: Outer cap member 400: Cleaning nozzle assembly 500: Cleaner hose 

What is claimed is:
 1. A dust container assembly for a vacuum cleaner, comprising: a casing having an intake port formed at one side thereof and an outlet port formed at the other side thereof, the casing being provided with an inlet guide member inside thereof corresponding to the outlet port such that a vortex can be generated by introduced air; an operation unit provided at the outlet port side and inducing foreign substances and air to be suctioned through the intake port; and a filter unit disposed inside the casing, filtering out foreign substances from air introduced through the intake port and flowing to the outlet port, and having a shape gradually decreasing in diameter with increasing distance from the outlet port.
 2. The dust container assembly according to claim 1, wherein the operation unit comprises: a housing supported by a bottom of the casing and configured to allow air to pass therethrough; a fan motor member disposed inside the housing and blowing air; an inner cap member covering the fan motor member to provide sound insulation and configured to allow air to pass therethrough; a sound absorption pad disposed on a circumferential surface of the inner cap member to provide sound absorption; and an outer cap member covering the inner cap member and the sound absorption pad to provide sound insulation.
 3. The dust container assembly according to claim 2, wherein the sound absorption pad has an embossed pattern formed on an inner surface thereof.
 4. The dust container assembly according to claim 1, wherein the filter unit comprises: a protector having a net-like shape to allow air to pass therethrough and formed of hard materials, the protector having a diameter gradually decreasing from top to bottom; a filtration member supported by at least one of inner and outer sides of the protector in a face-to-face manner to be maintained in shape and filtering out introduced foreign materials; and a mounting portion for fixing the protector supporting the filtration member to the casing.
 5. The dust container assembly according to claim 4, wherein the mounting portion comprises: a mounting protrusion protruding from the bottom of the casing; at least one pair of first rotation preventing protrusions facing each other and protruding from and along an edge of the mounting protrusion; and a second rotation preventing protrusion extending from the protector and engaged with the first rotation preventing protrusions to prevent rotation of the protector.
 6. The dust container assembly according to claim 4, wherein the casing is provided with a gasket on an upper inner surface thereof adjoining the protector or the filtration member to prevent leakage of foreign substances.
 7. The dust container assembly according to claim 4, wherein the circumferential surface of the protector is inclined at different angles to ensure a desired flow rate of air through a space between the protector and the inlet guide member. 